wood stove vs open fireplace

A few weeks ago I did a post about open fireplaces. A good alternative for a fireplace is a wood stove, which is available in various shapes and sizes as you can see in these images. The biggest benefit of a wood stove is that it is more efficient as it gives more heath opposed to an open fire place which looses much of its warmth. When renovating our home we choose for an open fire place but I am not sure if I will make the same decision again. What are your thoughts on this?

9 Responses to wood stove vs open fireplace

We installed a stove for the first time this year and it has to be the best thing we have ever done for the home! What i love about it is your ability to be able to control the heat- literally turn the flames up or down. When we go to bed at night, we stick a log on and turn the stove right down and then in the morning turn the stove right up again and the heat from the ash re-starts the fire again- amazing!

I’ve had both fireplaces, and wood burning stoves. These days, I’m happy to have the stove because it’s not only great looking, it goes a long way toward keeping my energy bill / carbon footprint in check!

Wow, a fresh perspective on the beauty of wood burning stoves! I’ve had a bad impression my whole life because it was a very hard childhood chore to cut, stack, and carry wood! Hmmm, maybe I’ll have a new grown-up take on this thanks to you!

Our only heating is a wood-burning stove and I love it, so efficient. If we want to see the flame we can open the door (or just clean the glass!), and I even cook on the top if there is something that needs to simmer. I used to have a stove in my London house as well, and used it rather than keeping the central heating on all day. It becomes a friend.

OOo, that is a great question. I used to live in a house with a soapstone fireplace and my house now has an open fireplace. I love the look and feel of the open fireplaces, but the soapstone (or stove) fireplaces have a tendency to radiate heat for hours after the fire has died out. They also give you the ability to control the amount of air that the fire receives which, in the long run, saves on firewood (because the wood burns slower). And the best part, you can leave the fire burning when you leave the house or go to bed and you don’t have to worry about the house catching fire!

Compared to open fireplaces, I prefer to wood burning stoves, because they are not heaters , they also are nice decorations for living room. However, the real fire of open fireplace is really charming, their inefficiency also make their owners helpless.
Nice blog, nice post, thank you for your sharing!

Yes, you are right – wood stoves are way more efficient than the fireplaces, but when it comes to aesthetic and good look, there is no doubt that the fireplaces are much more interior friendly and so there more expensive.

Definitely agree with most of the comments, wood burning fire places is where the heart of the house lies! As Jane says, wood burning fireplaces add character to the home where I coffee table or sofa can not compete to the full extent! And this is definitely shown in the pics! Great job